Job 12-15

New Life Version

Job Talks

12 Then Job answered, ² “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you. ³ But I have understanding as well as you. I am not less than you. Who does not know such things as these? ⁴ Even my friends laugh at me. The man who called on God, and God answered him, the man who is right and without blame is laughed at. ⁵ He who lives in comfort laughs at one who has trouble and whose feet are slipping. ⁶ The tents of those who destroy have much. Those who make God angry are safe and have their god in their own hands.

⁷ “But ask the wild animals, and they will teach you. Ask the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. ⁸ Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you. Let the fish of the sea make it known to you. ⁹ Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? ¹⁰ In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all men. ¹¹ Does not the ear test words as the mouth tastes food? ¹² Wisdom is with old men, and understanding with long life.

¹³ “With God are wisdom and strength. Wise words and understanding belong to Him. ¹⁴ See, He tears down, and it cannot be built again. He puts a man in prison, and no one can free him. ¹⁵ See, He stops the waters and they dry up. He sends them out, and they cover the earth. ¹⁶ Strength and wisdom are with Him. Both the fool and the one who fools him belong to God. ¹⁷ He takes wisdom away from leaders and makes fools of judges. ¹⁸ He takes off chains put on by kings, and holds back the power of kings. ¹⁹ He makes religious leaders walk without pride, and takes the power away from those who think they are safe. ²⁰ He stops the trusted ones from speaking and takes away the wisdom of the leaders. ²¹ He pours anger on rulers, and takes away the strength of the strong. ²² He makes known hidden truth from the darkness, and brings deep darkness to light. ²³ He makes the nations great, and then destroys them. He helps nations to become large, then leads them away. ²⁴ He takes away understanding from the leaders of the people of the earth, and makes them travel in a waste-land with no path. ²⁵ They feel their way in darkness with no light. And He makes them walk from side to side like a drunk man.

Job Talks

13 “See, my eye has seen all this. My ear has heard and understood it. ² What you know I also know. I am not less than you.

³ “But I wish to speak to the All-powerful. I want to argue with God. ⁴ But you cover things with lies. You are doctors of no worth. ⁵ If only you would be quiet, and that would show your wisdom! ⁶ Hear what I think. Listen to the arguing of my lips. ⁷ Will you say what is not true for God? Will you lie for Him? ⁸ Will you show favor for Him? Will you argue for God? ⁹ Will it be well when He tests you? Or do you lie to Him as one lies to a man? ¹⁰ For sure He will speak strong words to you if you show favor in secret. ¹¹ Will not His great power make you afraid? Will not the fear of Him come upon you? ¹² Your wise sayings are sayings of ashes. Your strength is the strength of clay.

¹³ “Be quiet so that I may speak. Then let come on me what will. ¹⁴ Why should I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hands? ¹⁵ Even though He would kill me, yet I will trust in Him. I will argue my ways to His face. ¹⁶ This will save me, for a sinful man may not come to Him. ¹⁷ Be careful to listen to my words. Let what I say fill your ears. ¹⁸ See, I am ready to tell everything, and all will know I am right. ¹⁹ Who will talk against me? For then I would be quiet and die.

²⁰ “Only two things I ask of You, and then I will not hide from Your face. ²¹ Take Your hand from me, and do not let the fear of You make me so afraid. ²² Then call, and I will answer. Or let me speak, and You answer me. ²³ How many are my sins and wrong-doings? Help me to know my wrong-doing and sin. ²⁴ Why do You hide Your face, and think of me as one who hates You? ²⁵ Will You make a wind-blown leaf afraid? Will You go after the dry parts of a grain-field that have no worth? ²⁶ For You write bitter things against me. You punish me for the sins I did when I was young. ²⁷ You put chains on my feet, and watch everything I do. You let me walk only so far. ²⁸ I am wasting away like a piece of dead wood, like clothing eaten by the moth.

Job Keeps On Talking—Death Is Sure

14 “Man who is born of woman lives only a short time and is full of trouble. ² He grows up and dries like a flower. He leaves like a shadow and does not stay. ³ You open Your eyes on him and decide about him. ⁴ Who can make clean what is unclean? No one! ⁵ A man’s days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set. ⁶ So now look away from him that he may rest, until he has lived the time set for him like a man paid to work.

⁷ “For there is hope for a tree, when it is cut down, that it will grow again, and that its branches will not stop growing. ⁸ Its roots grow old in the ground, and the base of the tree dies in the dry ground. ⁹ But with water it will grow. Branches will grow from it like a plant. ¹⁰ But man dies and is laid low. Man dies, and where is he? ¹¹ As water goes into the air from the sea, and the river wastes away and dries up, ¹² so man lies down and does not get up again. Until the heavens are no more, he will not wake up or come out of his sleep.

¹³ “If only You would hide me in the place of the dead! If only You would hide me until Your anger is past, and set a time for me and remember me! ¹⁴ If a man dies, will he live again? I will wait all the days of my trouble until a change comes. ¹⁵ You will call and I will answer You. You will wait for the work of Your hands. ¹⁶ For now You number my steps. You do not write down my sin. ¹⁷ My sin is locked up in a bag. You cover my wrong-doing.

¹⁸ “But the mountain falls and breaks apart to nothing. The rock moves from its place. ¹⁹ Water wears away the stones. Its floods wash away the dust of the earth. So You destroy man’s hope. ²⁰ You have power over him forever, and he leaves. You change what he looks like and send him away. ²¹ His sons receive honor, but he does not know it. Or they lose honor, but he does not see it. ²² His body gives him pain, and he has sorrow only for himself.”

Eliphaz Talks

15 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered, ² “Should a wise man answer with learning that is of no worth, and fill himself with the east wind? ³ Should he argue with talk that will not help, or with words that do no good? ⁴ For sure you are doing away with the fear of the Lord. You are stopping the quiet worship of God. ⁵ You show your sin by what you say. You are trying to hide behind your words. ⁶ Your own mouth says you are guilty, and not I. Your own lips speak against you.

⁷ “Were you the first man to be born? Or were you made before the hills? ⁸ Were you there to hear the secret plans of God? Are you the only one who has wisdom? ⁹ What do you know that we do not know? What do you understand that is not clear to us? ¹⁰ Men whose hair has grown white and those who have lived many years are among us. They are older than your father. ¹¹ Are the gentle words spoken to you, which give comfort from God, too little for you? ¹² Why does your heart carry you away? And why do your eyes shine, ¹³ that you turn your spirit against God and let such words go out of your mouth? ¹⁴ What is man, that he can be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he can be right and good? ¹⁵ See, God puts no trust in His holy ones. The heavens are not pure in His eyes. ¹⁶ How much less one who is hated and sinful, a man who drinks sin like water!

¹⁷ “I will tell you, listen to me. I will make known what I have seen, ¹⁸ what wise men have told that they learned from their fathers. They have not hidden anything. ¹⁹ These were the ones to whom the land was given, and no stranger passed among them. ²⁰ The sinful man suffers in pain all his days. His years are numbered because of all his sin. ²¹ Sounds of fear are in his ears. When all seems to be going well, the one who destroys will come upon him. ²² He does not believe that he will be taken away from darkness, and the sword is meant for him. ²³ He goes to look for food, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is near. ²⁴ Trouble and pain fill him with fear. They have power over him like a king ready for battle. ²⁵ He has put out his hand against God, and is full of pride against the All-powerful. ²⁶ He rushes in pride against Him with his big battle-covering. ²⁷ His face is fat, and his thighs are heavy with fat. ²⁸ He has lived in cities that have been laid waste, in houses where no one lives which will be destroyed. ²⁹ He will no longer be rich, and what he has will not last. His grain will come to nothing. ³⁰ He will not get away from darkness. The fire will dry up his branches, and the breath of God’s mouth will drive him away. ³¹ Let him not lie to himself and trust in what is empty. For what is empty will be his reward. ³² It will be paid in full while he still lives, and his branch will not be green. ³³ He will be like the vine that drops off its grapes before they are ready. And he will throw off his flower like the olive tree. ³⁴ Those who visit the sinful bring no fruit. And fire destroys the tents of those who do wrong. ³⁵ They give birth to trouble and bring sin. Their minds plan lies.”